


sand between our fingers

by loopunderground



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Flirting, Other, Pining, Sexual Tension, Touching, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:14:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27066979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loopunderground/pseuds/loopunderground
Summary: “Hey buddy! So that trickshot you just did was really impressive! That’s definitely a new one! I mean I’m sure you’ve done it in matches and I’ve just not noticed but that was really cool, do you do that after finishing every maga-ma- the uh- when you need to reload? Cause I-”“Mirage.” They said firmly, but not unkindly, and Elliott snapped his mouth shut. “Would you like some help?”OR: Elliott is kind of bad at sniping. Hound offers to help.
Relationships: Bloodhound/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Comments: 15
Kudos: 82





	sand between our fingers

**Author's Note:**

> hello! back at it again with another miragehound!
> 
> i was absolutely yearning to write a training range fic so here we go!!
> 
> super inspired by both hikaie's [dealers choice](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1418995) series and [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657075) absolutely beautiful fic by crowkiiing, please check them both out they're so wonderful
> 
> also a huge thank you to everyone who's left nice comments on here and on my tumblr, i have never received such kind feedback on fics before and it only makes me want to write more, so thank you so much <3
> 
> no warnings here, just a lot of pining and some nice tension >:)
> 
> i hope you enjoy!

Off-season meant different things to each of the legends. For people like Renee it was a time to find answers, to go back to her research and try to piece together the information she’d gathered about her previous life. For others like Makoa and Ajay it meant returning to work and volunteering, continuing to aid those in need and save lives. To Elliott, off-season also meant a return to work (or at least,  _ more  _ work, since he worked shifts intermittently throughout the season anyway) although it wasn’t nearly as glamourous or hero worthy as his fellow competitors. But hey, he was happy and he liked bar work, it gave him an opportunity to show off and he liked interacting with lots of people.

However today was not a day for work. Today Elliott found himself alone at the firing range, because aside from work, off-season was also a time to practice and hone skills, and if he was being completely honest, he was getting really hung up on the fact that unlike the rest of his fellow competitors, he couldn’t snipe for shit. Far too many games this season had seen him taken out with a dainty little Kraber to the head and yet whenever he was fortunate enough to get his hands on the weapon, he missed all of his goddamn shots. It was less annoying more than it embarrassing at this point, the pitiful looks given to him by Octavio hadn’t gone unnoticed, who could handle the weapon despite it being fucking taller than him, which frankly just wasn’t fair. 

So here he was, awake far earlier than he should have been, to practice and attempt to get himself back up in the running with the others. Truthfully he could have come later in the day - it would have spared him the gruelling process of getting out of bed whilst it had still been dark out, but if he’d have come later there was a higher chance of bumping into someone, and he hadn’t ever really gotten over the one time he’d been on the range with Anita, who had given him the single most condescending and deplorable look he’d ever received in his life as she’d watched him experiment with the G7. So no thank you, even if it was painful to be awake this early, he’d save his embarrassment and train alone learning through trial and error, thank you very much. 

He didn’t feel like going straight in for practice with the Kraber, so he meandered over to the weapons rack, looking over his options. The Triple Take was always fairly reliable but he only ever really used it for mid-range fights, and he didn’t want to have to rely on using a gun that was already built to help by having a spread shot, he was there to try build up his skill after all. There was the Sentinel but frankly he just couldn’t stand using it, he didn’t like the idea of having to waste cells mid fight: if he was already missing his shots then he didn’t want to have to waste his healing items too. So that left him with the Longbow and the Charge Rifle. He knew that most people got started on sniping with the Charge so that seemed like a good enough place to start. 

The Solace sun beamed down on him as he trudged his way up the sandy dunes to get some distance between himself and the targets. “Alrighty,” he said aloud, giving the gun a once over, “let’s do this.” It was such a chunky looking thing, and it was one of those weapons that was always heavier than he expected it to be. But surely despite its size it couldn’t be that hard to use? The thing barely had any drop off, unlike the others, it would be an absolute cake walk.

He lined up his shot with all the confidence in the world, pressed the trigger, and immediately fell on his ass backwards into the sand as the kickback set in. To add insult to injury, the shot missed the target by a good ten foot or so. For a moment he just sat there in shock and embarrassment, before he grumbled and stood up, dusting the sand off of himself. Alright, maybe it wasn’t going to be so easy. Fine, this was fine, he was here to get better. “At least no one saw that…” He mumbled to himself, taking a moment to cherish that small relief. 

A moment that was cut short when he turned to his right and saw Bloodhound stood not so far away and looking directly at him. 

Elliott let out a yelp that later he would proceed to be mortified about, but in the moment he covered up by flashing one of his usual smiles and running a hand through his hair in an attempt to look casual. “Uh hey! Houndie! How’s it going buddy? Good to see you outside of the games and all that! Nice day we’re having right? Haha um... How long have you been standing there?”

“Not long. I did not mean to distract you from your practice.”

Right. Practice. He must have looked like a child playing with toys in the eyes of one of the game's greatest snipers.

“Nah, it’s cool, I think I’m gonna just move on from this bad boy.” He laughed, trying not to wince at how fake it sounded even to his own ears.

“The Charge Rifle is a difficult weapon to master. Unique from the other snipers in many ways.”

“Right! I mean who doesn’t love a giant laser beam of death but wow that knockback is really something else huh?”

A noise came from Hound’s respirator which sounded like a chuckle, and Elliott felt his heart race a little at the sound. Getting a laugh out of Bloodhound was a significant achievement, one that made him feel warm inside, which was something that he tried not to analyse, as that would mean acknowledging certain feelings and frankly, he was really not about that. Besides, Hound was probably mocking him. Maybe. Who knew? Elliott certainly didn’t. 

“Cool so I’ll just do my thing and let you do yours. We’re all good here. Just two legends training, shooting their shots, having a good time, not a worry in sight. I’ll be over here and you can go wherever you want, because you’re a long standing champion of course you can go where you want, you probably know this place better than me actually and you know what, I’m gonna leave you to it, have fun buddy!”

Hound nodded at him and Elliott went back over to the racks to pick up a Longbow, now feeling incredibly on edge, despite his previous statement. At least if Hound was actually offended by his terrible snipes they could hide their look of disdain behind the mask, which was a small blessing really; the idea of genuinely disappointing Hound did not sit well with Elliott and made him want to squirm.

Once he had all of his barrel attachments and hop ups he made his way back to his previous position and eyeing up some of the targets on the hills, leaving the dummies on the ground for Hound, since he’d spotted them loading up a carbine. A part of him wanted to just sit and watch them. Not that he would admit to it but there had been several instances during the games where he’d seen them from a distance and instead of firing, or alerting the rest of his squad to their location, he’d simply watched them. Watched the way they fought, the way they hunted. It was deeply mesmerizing. But now was not the time to stand idle and watch them train, and so he took to his sniper once more and lined up his shot.

And missed. Again.

He swore quietly to himself and tried again, trying not to feel too disheartened. Another missed shot. The following one hit the target but only clipped the side of it, which made Elliott audibly groan. It was a stationary target, a  _ large  _ stationary target and he still couldn’t hit it, how was he supposed to hit someone like Renee who moved the way that she did? Truly he was doomed. 

He finished off the rest of the clip with not much luck and when he was done he took a seat on a small bit of rock as he reloaded the magazine, accepting his fate as being a terrible sniper. With little else to do he gave into his earlier desire, his gaze falling to Hound further down the sand. They kept peeking from behind cover to fire into the dummies, ducking back as though in an actual fight. Honestly it was impressive to watch, the way they utilised their surroundings to defend themselves and yet still have a terrifying accuracy at distances that Elliott knew if it were him, he would only be hitting half of his shots. And the way they fired the weapon with such ease and a calmness that spoke of their incredible prowess, it was enthralling. He watched closely as Hound finally leapt out from their cover, sliding down the hill towards the dummy and emptying an entire clip into them, before throwing their axe and having it land directly in the dummy’s head, knocking it to the ground.

Elliott’s mouth dropped open and a loud crack rang out as he accidentally leant on the trigger to his weapon, firing off a shot randomly into the cliff. Some of the rocks crumbled and fell down which made him wince, before he turned back to see Hound glancing over with their head tilted curiously. Great. Wonderful. Not embarrassing in the slightest.

Elliott wanted to die.

Hound placed their weapon back on the rack and walked over to him, and Elliott tried to cover for his mistake by doing what he did best: talking.

“Hey buddy! So that trickshot you just did was really impressive! That’s definitely a new one! I mean I’m sure you’ve done it in matches and I’ve just not noticed but that was really cool, do you do that after finishing every maga-ma- the uh- when you need to reload? Cause I-”

“Mirage.” They said firmly, but not unkindly, and Elliott snapped his mouth shut. “Would you like some help?”

“Help? Me? Nah I never need help but if you just… y’know, happened to show me how you use it and I stood here and watched and maybe took notes then that would be great.”

Hound shook their head and let out a small laugh as they moved up next to him. “Fire again. Show me how you use it.”

Secretly thrilled to be getting some help, Elliott did as he was told and aimed down sights, firing off a few shots. In his eagerness to impress them he did actually manage to hit a body shot on one of the targets. Bloodhound was yet to say anything, continuing to watch him with patience as he finished the magazine. Another one of the bullets hit the mark, still only a body shot but it helped to restore some of Elliott’s previously lost confidence. He turned to look at Hound after he was done, eagerly awaiting their assessment and verdict. They let out a soft hum and Elliott furiously tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach at being under the weight of their gaze, this was really not the best time to start thinking about those feelings he had stored away,  _ c’mon Witt get your act together, we are NOT doing this now! _

“That was not bad. You are clearly capable of handling such a weapon, you just need a few little adjustments.”

Before he had time to preen under the praise, Hound was stepping into his personal space and pressing themselves against his back. Elliott immediately froze and tried very hard not to say something embarrassing, which was turning out to be easier than he thought it would be, since internally he was doing nothing but screaming and couldn’t actually string together a coherent thought. 

Look, it had been a  _ long  _ time, and he’d had… Thoughts about Hound before. Many thoughts. Several long and drawn out thoughts about Hound being pressed against him. And then other, sweeter thoughts about maybe holding their hand. So sue him! It wasn’t like he was actually going to act on any of it, no way, he’d rather take a Peacekeeper to the gut than make them uncomfortable. He would just keep these thoughts to himself and oh, right, Hound was speaking to him, he should probably pay attention instead of having a crisis about having a crush. His right hand was curled around the barrel of the Longbow and he swallowed hard as Hound covered it with their own, gently moving it further down. 

“Before you take the shot, hold your breath. Steady yourself. Inhale, pause, fire, exhale. Do you understand?” They spoke in low, hushed tones in his ear and it made Elliott want to melt in their arms. He nodded in reply, not trusting his voice to give away the state he was in. 

“There is a rhythm to it… Here, I will do it with you.”

Trying to focus and not accidentally lean into their touch he took a moment to line up his shot with one of the dummie’s heads. He could do this. The warmth of Hound’s body was steadying behind him and he breathed in, waited…

And fired.

Headshot.

He breathed out and felt Hound breathe with him. “Again.” They murmured. He repeated the process, and hit another headshot, the dummy falling to the floor. Adrenaline rushed through him and he felt almost giddy with it. He did it! He wasn’t useless!

Hound was still pressed against his back. “You did well Elliott.” They said quietly, and oh, if that didn’t just  _ do _ things to him; he wanted to hear them say that to him again, he wanted to be good for them, wanted to receive their praise. Hound, unaware of his mental dilemma continued on: “There is a thrill that comes with using weapons such as this. I know the rush it can give.” 

Finally able to speak, and hoping he wasn’t about to say something stupid Elliott replied with an “Oh?”, acutely aware that Hound hadn’t stepped away yet and unsure as to why that was.

“Yes,” Hound replied, “your heart is racing.”

It was racing for reasons other than firing a weapon but Elliott wasn’t about to admit to that right in front of them. He let out a shaky laugh, hoping that Hound didn’t pick up on it. “Is it?” He asked, and in response Hound took the sniper out of his hands and placed it on the ground, before reaching out and taking his hand in their own, pressing their fingers to the bare skin of his wrist over his pulse point. Elliott tried to hold back a shiver, feeling himself sweat under Hound’s administrations.  _ Okay cool cool cool, didn’t realise wrist touching was gonna be a Thing for me. This is fine. Wonderful even. Definitely not extremely mortified by this revelation. Alright just play it cool Elliott. Do not make it weird . For the love of God do not make it weird.  _ He looked over his shoulder at Hound’s mask, unable to see their eyes behind the lenses but refusing to look away. 

“It’s the thrill of the hunt…” Hound said softly, their thumb slowly stroking the skin of his inner wrist, “I know it well.” Elliott nodded quickly, his mouth dry all of a sudden. The two of them simply looked at each other, wrapped up in the quiet of the moment, the tension between them palpable. They stood there together, still touching for several moments, saying nothing. When it almost felt too much and Elliott wanted to say something, anything, he was interrupted by Artur cawing from close behind them, and suddenly the moment was shattered. With what appeared to be reluctance Hound let go of his wrist, which was both relieving and devastating at the same time.

“You have done well today. I will leave you to your training, there are other duties I must attend to. Þar til næst félagi.” 

Too caught up in trying to get his heart to stop racing, Elliott only took in the others words as they were walking away from him. “Wait!” He called out, relieved when they paused and turned back to look at him.

“I, uh… I just wanted to say thank you. For the demo-dema-dest- for helping me. Would you… maybe want to train again together sometime? I know you’re like, scarily efficient with most weapons but uh, it could be fun? I could help you with a Wingman!”

For a moment they said nothing and Elliott wanted to smack himself on the forehead. Idiot, why would they want to hang out with his dumbass, he was loud and annoying, his cheery disposition and consistent chatter always seemed to rub people the wrong way, they’re probably going to avoid him now whenever they could-

They nodded at him. “Very well. I will be here at the same time tomorrow.”

Oh.  _ Oh.  _ “It’s a date!”

He knew the second he’d said it that he’d fucked up, but he couldn’t exactly take the words back now that they were out in the open. He waited for them to tell him he was out of line, that he’d mistaken their kindness, and Elliott was ready to apologise for being such a fucking idiot but oddly enough that didn’t happen.

“Until then.” They replied, and walked out of the training grounds with Artur chirping on their arm. Elliott watched them as they left, and although he hadn’t been able to see, it had sounded like they were smiling under the mask when they’d spoken. Overwhelmed he sat back down on the rocks and replayed everything over in his head. 

He had a date. With Bloodhound.

With Bloodhound!

Score.

**Author's Note:**

> translation:  
> Þar til næst félagi - until next time companion
> 
> so fun fact whilst writing this i kept referring to elliott accidentally shooting the longbow as his 'buzz lightyear' moment
> 
> also yes hound is absolutely into him back, did you really have to stand right behind him hound? hmm? did you have to hold his hand??? useless, the pair of them
> 
> my apex side blog is [doubletaptrigger](http://doubletaptrigger.tumblr.com) for anyone interested!!
> 
> please leave comments if you can, they honestly give me life
> 
> have an excellent day <3


End file.
